Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-10-29
AN INTERESTING LETTER.
Gen. Grant on the Terms Of the vicks.
burg Surrender.

Gen. Grant on the Terms Of tho vicks.
burg Surrender.
The following letter, dated New York,
Nov. 80, 1884, was addressed to Gen.
Marcus j. Wright, agent Of the war de-
partment for the collection Of Confederate
records, by whose permission it is printed
from the original manuscript:
DEAR GENERAL-Herewith l send you
Gen. PembertOn's account Of the surren-
der of Vicksburg. AS the written matter
is copy and supposing you have what it
has been copied from, / do not return it,
though ! will IL you inform me that you
want It.
"A gentleman from Philadelphia sent
me the same matter I retur herewith,
last summer. / probably left the paper
at Long Branch, but do not know GER
tainly. All there is Of Importance in the
matter Of the surrender of Vicksburg is
contained in the correspondence between
Gen. Pemberton and myself. The fact is,
Gen. Pemberton, being a northern man
commanding a southern army, was not at
the same liberty to surrender an army
that a man Of southern birth would be.
In adversely or defeat he became IN OBJ
ject OF suspicion, and felt it. Bowen was
a southern man all over, and knew the
garrison Of Vicksburg had to surrender or
be captured, and knew it was best to stop
further effusion Of blood by surrendering.
He did all he could to bring about that
result.
'Pemberton IS mistaken in several
points. 1t was Bowen that proposed that
he and A. j. Smith should talk over the
matter OF the surrender and submit their
views. Neither Penberton nor / objected;
but we were not willing to commit our
selves TO accepting such terms rs they
might propose. In a short time those OFF,
GERS returned. Bowen acted AZ spokes-
man. What he said was substantially
this: The Confederate army was to be per-
mitted to march out with the honors of
war, carrying with them their arms, col
ors and field batteries. The national
troops were then to march in and occupy
the city, and retain he siege guns, small
arms not In the hands Of the men, all pub
lie property remaining. OF course I re-
jected the terms ut once. l did agree,
however, before we separated to write
Pemberton what terms l would give.
The correspondence is public and speaks
for itself. / held no council of war. Hos
tilities having ceased, officers and men
soon became acquainted with the rea-
son why. Curiosity led officers Of
rank-most all the general oficers-to
visit my headquarters with the hope Of
getting some news. l talked with them
very freely about the meeting between
Gen. Pemberton and myself, our CORE
spondence, etc. But in no sense was it a
council of war. ! was very glad to give
the garrison Of Vicksburg the terms / did.
There was II cartel in existence at that
time which requested either party to ex-
change or parole all prisoners either at
Nicksburg or at a point on the James
river within ten days after capture or as
soon thereafter rs practicable. This
would have used all the transportation we
had for n month, The men had behaved
SO well that | did not want to humiliate
them. l believed that consideration for
their feelings would make them less dan
gerous foes during the continuance of hos
~tilitics, and better citizens after the war
was over.
81 am very much obliged to you, gen.
eral, for your courtesy in sending me these
papers. Very truly yours,
"U. S. GRANT"